Essential Equipment for Beginner Tennis Players

Tennis is an easy sport when it comes to equipment. You only need a strung tennis racket, balls and athletic clothes as a bare minimum. But, at deeper inspection, you need slightly more than that.

Tennis Racket

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There are many kinds of tennis rackets to choose from. All brands have a few major styles: player's racket (head-light), power racket (head-heavy) and combinations between these. Depending on your athleticism, skills and goals, choose the racket that fits your needs the best. There are different sizes of heads and grips, different lengths, thickness, styles, weights, and colors. You can test-play the rackets before you buy. A great online source is tenniswarehouse.com

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Strings

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Two major kinds of strings are natural gut and synthetic (nylon, polyester, kevlar). The hybrid (mixed) strings combine these two together. Depending on your skill level, style, frequency of play, injury proneness and personal preference, you will find the best strings for you through some testing and experience.?

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Overgrips

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Overgrip is a thin, soft, sometimes padded layer that you wrap around the tennis racket's handle. It is sweat absorbing and makes gripping the racket more comfortable. Often it adds some stickiness and sometimes expands the size of your grip. It is easy to change so you always have a fresh grip and there are different colors and patterns for cosmetic styles.

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Tennis Balls

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They come in packs of 3 or 4, mostly in bright yellow color. Brands such as Penn, Willson, Prince, Dunlop, Wilson, Tretorn and Gamma are great options. Play with a few and try to find the brand you like best.

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Tennis Bag or Backpack

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A tennis bag allows you to carry one or more tennis rackets with all the other equipment comfortably. The backpack is a smaller version that you can easily carry around. Tennis bags come in smaller versions that fits 1 to 3 rackets and big player's bags fit up to 12 rackets.

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Towel

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Microfiber towels are very popular for their extreme absorbance and small size. If you play in hot or humid conditions, or if you have a heightened sensitivity to heat, you may prefer cooling towels that chill you down substantially when wet.

Ball Holder

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T-shirt

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While a plain, cotton t-shirt seems like the most popular and comfortable choice, often when cotton gets sweaty, it gets heavy and it doesn't dry fast. Modern athletic fabrics are made in such way that they lead the sweat off the body, keeping the body dry and comfortable. Different brands have different names, such as Dri-Fit for Nike, ClimaCool for Adidas, PlayDry for Reebok, Performa for Fila, or UnderArmour's HeatGear. ?

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Shorts/Skirts

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You can play in any shorts or skirts but the tennis specific kinds often have undershorties (tights) attached, which makes playing and containing extra balls more comfortable. They are sweat wicking and often come in fabrics mentioned before.

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Shoes

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Shoes specially made for tennis are recommended. They have non-marking soles, special support for the demands of aggressive tennis movement, and comfort for the heavy lateral movement. Many brands, such as Nikes, Adidas, Babolat, Asics, and Wilson specialize in tennis specific shoes.

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Socks

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Some people like to wear thin socks during their sport activities, but the movement demands of tennis may cause blisters and other foot problems if your socks are too thin and sliding in the shoes. If you plan to play often and aggressively, get yourself comfortable medium thick socks for the best comfort.

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Visor/Hat

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Tennis is often played in the direct sun, which can bother your eyes and restrict the vision. A visor or hat will help shield your vision from the worst sun, while preventing the sweat from your forehead from running down and irritating your eyes.

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Sunglasses

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When you have a good hat or visor, you may not need the sunglasses, but if you play in bright sun often, it is good to protect your vision and make your eyes more comfortable. Some sunglasses have perforations that prevent them from fogging from excessive sweat.

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Headband

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Wristband

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A wristband prevents the sweat from running down your arms into your hands and making the grip slippery. You can change it during the play as often as necessary and you can easily dry off the sweat from other body parts when you don't have access to your towel.

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Water Bottle

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Snacks

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Always carry extra snacks (calories) with you in case you run out of steam and need to replenish your energy. Dried fruits or nuts, fruit/nut bars, fresh fruits, fruit juices and similar items will give you quick accessible energy.

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